What you should know about wildfires

Jul. 29, 2009

Written by

Ed Smith

Special to the RGJ

I have been working with Nevada communities on wildfire threat reduction issues for the past 20 years. Based on this experience, I'm listing some of the important points that homeowners living in Nevada's high fire hazard areas should know.

There's more fire in our future

Despite our best prevention efforts, wildfire likely will become even more common in Nevada's future. Since the 1970s, the number of acres burned in Nevada has dramatically increased. In the decade of the 1990s, more Nevada acres burned than in the previous four decades combined. With two more fire seasons still to report for the current decade of 2001 to 2010, we already have surpassed the 1990s total acres burned record.

Proactive homeowners are critical

Contrary to popular belief, the most important person in protecting a home from wildfire is usually the homeowner and not a firefighter. And, it's the actions that a homeowner takes before the fire occurs that are critical. Replacing wood roofs with fire resistant types, creating defensible space, moving firewood stacks, etc. are proactive steps that Nevada homeowners can take that will substantially improve the odds of their homes surviving a wildfire.

Fuelbreaks are not enough

In recent years, there has been a lot of effort put into the creation of fuelbreaks around some of western Nevada's high fire hazard communities. Unfortunately, some homeowners assume that once the fuelbreak is created, they are now fire safe and that no further action on their part is required. This is not true.

Wind driven embers can be transported over the fuelbreak and ignite new fires on the other side. Homes which have not prepared for the ember threat are vulnerable despite the presence of the fuelbreak. While community level fuelbreaks are important to reducing the wildfire threat, they are not enough. Homeowners must continue to do their part.

Prepare for embers: During a wildfire, thousands of embers can rain down on your roof and pelt the side of your home. If these embers become lodged in something easily ignited on or near your house, the home will be in jeopardy of burning. This is a major reason why homes are destroyed during wildfire. For a list of ember threat reduction tips, visit the "Ember Aware" tab at www.livingwithfire.info.

Understand the threat to your neighborhood: Understanding the wildfire threat to your neighborhood is an important first step. Hazard assessment reports have been completed for most of the Nevada communities threatened by wildfire. To view your report, go to www.rci-nv.com , click on RCI Reports, and then under Nevada Community Wildfire Risk/Hazard Assessment Project find your county. Under the county heading, go to the community listing that covers your neighborhood. The report will indicate your community's wildfire hazard rating, describe the factors that contributed to the rating, and make suggestions to reduce the wildfire threat.

Ed Smith is a natural resource specialist with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.